


A New Perspective

by FaeryValeria



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst?, F/M, Fluff, Kylo ren/reader - Freeform, Marriage, Politics, Reader Insert, Romance, ben solo/reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-27 21:26:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeryValeria/pseuds/FaeryValeria
Summary: The Rebels are closing in, and the light is growing. Your mother is dying, and the First Order turns its gaze to your home. An alliance is formed, and your people safe, but what does this mean for you? And so a new perspective is formed.





	1. One

“You want me to do what now?”

“Your mother has asked that you join them on the counsel today. Word has arrived about some matters that you’d best hear about as soon as possible,” the young man before me held up a hand, halting the stream of questions before I had even opened my mouth. “I don’t know anything else, this was all her note contained. Here, see for yourself. “ I took the folded paper he held out. The front had the time 12:27—all mothers notes began thus. She did it to ensure that nothing in them could be influenced by her…gift. If you could consider it such, that is.

 

_I hope this finds you well, Bartrand. If you could, please find my daughter and tell her that we wish her to join us on the council starting today. We have received a missive that concerns us all, and she should hear it herself. It will also be a good opportunity to begin putting all her lessons into actions._

 

“Alright, I assume they’re meeting now?” at Bartrand's nod, I handed back the note and began gathering my books to put them away. Once complete I headed to the council chambers where my parents and their various advisors would be meeting. What had they received that made them so concerned? They rarely asked me to attend unless…unless it involved me personally. Last time had been a proposal to solidify an alliance with a marriage. I had gotten out of that because they only had a daughter, and while not opposed to it, you can’t produce a biological heir in such a relationship, which is a requirement in royal circles. My elder brother chose to be the one to join our families—I had not seen him since the wedding a year past.

I nodded to the guards at the door as I went in. In the room lay a large round table where several people were seated. On the far side, my mother and father sat, an empty place to their left, my sister’s place as heir to the throne. She had been gone for training for two weeks now, and would hopefully return soon. All the other places were filled by representatives of our people, from the low to the high, all had a voice in how they were governed. Everybody being present was extremely unusual—whatever this missive was, it was important. I took my seat next to my mother and she took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I gave her a questioning look, reaching out to meet her thoughts with my own.

_What’s going on?_

She shook her head slightly, closing off her mind from my own. I should have expected that, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Used to be, she would welcome me into her thoughts, but with her growing strength and lack of control of her own gifts, she closed off all communication. These ‘gifts’ as we called them, are in reality just our personal talents with the Force. Here, the common people never had the gift, but the Royal family always had a grasp of it. Nobody knows what causes it, but its been this way as long as there has been recorded history. In the royal family, the men always had a physical aspect of the Force, the women controlled the mental aspects. My brother, for instance, could lift and manipulate objects around him, just nothing involving himself. My mother could make anybody do anything she wished with the smallest word—this was why she didn’t speak. She used to be able to if she was careful of her words, but many years ago accidentally sent a man on a journey that would never end. He had walked until he died, and nothing could stop him. Now she only wrote her thoughts and took every precaution that she was nowhere nearby when the words were read. Myself? I could link my mind with others, whether they were Force sensitive or not, but so far only with physical contact between the person and myself. I turned my attention to the center of the table, folding my hands neatly in my lap. I didn’t want my mother to feel the hurt of her rejection from me.

A hologram appeared in the center of the table, a man (at least I assumed they were male) in the darkest color I had ever seen stood. A mask covered their face and the voice I heard must have been modulated.

“Greetings, I call on you on behalf of the Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order. I am Kylo Ren, and am searching for allies against the rebellion. We believe the rebels have a base near you, and are seeking to meet with you to take action against them. These rebels are dangerous and we, the First Order offer you our protection in these trying times.” He went on to request to meet in person, and go through other required formalities. When the hologram closed the room was silent for a long moment before one of the representatives—a nobleman from the south—spoke up

“I think this is a bad idea. We have remained neutral thus far, and should continue to do so. They offer protection from rebels, but no rebels are here, if they were we would surely know about them.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” a merchant said softly. “If they’re hiding on a different nearby planet we would likely not have any clue. And even so, they don’t exactly support the same ideals we do. I say we accept their offer.” Murmurs of agreement filled the room, and I looked at my lap, furrowing my brow. When I looked up again, I found my father looking at me.

“What are your thoughts, my dear?”

I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “For everything he said, it really wasn’t very much information. At the very least we should meet with them, otherwise they will be insulted. It’s a delicate situation. If the rebels really are near us, we don’t have the means to defend ourselves. They support the Jedi, who are an exact opposite of our own people. Where we believe in embracing our emotions, they prefer to suppress them. Balance, they call it; I call it unnatural.” I paused, collecting my thoughts. “If they want to offer us their protection, that means there is something we have that they don’t. We need to find out what they want from us, and that will only happen if we meet.”

My mother next to me had begun writing a new note. Once finished, she passed it to my father then left the room. A moment later my father read the note aloud. “Wise beyond her years, my daughter has spoken true. In many words this man has offered very little to go on, but has made his desire to join in an alliance clear. We will invite him here as a guest, to allow him to know us better, and for us to know him. Perhaps more will come of this, but only if trust is earned. Also, until Jenica returns from training, Althea will act in her place.” Several people nodded—this is a good first step. I felt proud that my mother had such faith in me, but also nervous. I had been trained for this though, and would trust her as she trusted me. But… This message had not held any information that would involve myself, had mother been testing me? If so, it appears I have passed. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

“Princess, you should be the one to extend the invitation.” I was jolted out of my thoughts and looked at the woman who spoke. She was a representative from the water harvesters—the most dangerous job on our planet. Her hands bore the scars from her work, and I forced my eyes back to her face. “The queen, while we all love and support her, cannot send such a sensitive message, we all know the risk that poses.”

“I…” I glanced at my father—current Prince-Consort—and saw him smile with encouragement. I took a deep breath. “I shall accept this task, and carry it out with the utmost care. Thank you, for supporting me.” I stood and raised my hand to them, signaling the end of the meeting as I had seen mother do once before. The people stood and after a slight bow or curtsy to me left the room single file. My father remained behind, watching me, and I sat once more before my knees gave out. “Did you know this was going to happen?” I accused him.

“Yes, your mother and I suspected this would happen.”

“Why? You and mother are still young, why are you leaving this up to me?” He just looked at me, and I shifted my gaze to my lap. “It’s that bad?”

“She has more trouble every day. Even the precaution of notes is not as firm a deterrent as it once was.” His voice was soft, and I looked up again. His eyes glittered and I reached out to touch his arm, then stopped and clutched my hands in my lap. He wasn’t sensitive in the force at all—I didn’t want to risk slipping into his thoughts with him unable to block me out. “Your sister will return soon after the Festival, its only until then.”

“I wish there was more we could do…” I sighed, standing up again. “Alright, father. I trust you. I suppose we should go send this message I have been volunteered for.”

~*~*~

“Sir we’ve received a response.”

Kylo Ren stood on the bridge of his ship, watching the proceedings silently. At the operators words he inclined his head slightly and a hologram appeared before them. Standing before them, in miniaturized form, was a young woman—a few years younger than he if he cared to guess. Covering her form was a simple tunic, made from a single piece of cloth that wrapped and twisted about her and rested over her shoulder. While simple, it was elegant, and suited her perfectly. She had wild curling hair that fell past her shoulders, and twined through those curls were glittering crystals—the symbol of her office. The figure curtsied deeply before resuming an upright posture.

“ _Greetings to you, Lord Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren. I am Princess Althea, of the planet Dostoria in the Diamond Nebula. I hope this message finds you well. Hearing of the possibility of the rebels being nearby was quite a shock, and we are in full agreement that we could benefit from each other in an alliance of sorts. I would prefer to discuss such sensitive things further in person, and invite you and yours here in one week’s time. I hope you will come, and I look forward to meeting you.”_

Short, simple, and to the point. This was her first time sending official messages. As far as he was aware, Queen Elinda was still ruling, had something happened since he left? And Althea…he had been told the Princess Heirs name was Jenica. Much had changed since the Republic left these peoples alone. This would be easier than he had suspected, especially if the ruler had changed recently. Get in, get the information, seal the alliance, get out. Those new to rule were generally quick to please those around them, even more so when they lacked allies. He left the bridge, leaving orders to begin preparations for the meeting. He and a small detachment of troopers would go, as well as General Hux and whoever he chose to attend. This would be a simple and quick affair, and he was anxious to get it over with.

~*~*~

The next week was filled with preparations for not only the oncoming meeting, but for the Festival of Night. In one week, darkness would fall over the land for the first time in centuries. Candles, torches, and other light sources had been imported and shipped. Everybody should have enough to light their homes and the streets for the three days of darkness. This was a rare occurrence--so rare that none living remembered it. I, myself, was both excited and frightened. I had never been someplace without light. As the planet we resided on is made completely of crystal, light was refracted over every inch of the lands. Even underground, light filled every nook and cranny. Occasionally, a moon around one of our four suns would come between the planet and a sun, but the light from the other three suns still kept the light consistent. Once every three hundred years all four suns’ moons would separate us from the light, and we would be plunged into the sacred darkness until they continued their rotations.

In the Festival, everybody would light the candles and such just moments before Darkness fell, and then the transition from light to dark would take place. It was to be a grand affair—people would travel to the capitol from all over, and there would be food and drink and games and dancing—most of all dancing. We Dostarians always found an excuse for dancing. Already, my feet were itching to break into a jig!

For a split second the thought of inviting our coming guest to the festival peeked into my mind and I quickly shoved it away. He would be coming for political reasons, not for fun. It had been father’s idea that the meeting take place right before the festival—only natural that a potential ally see such a significant occurance for our people.

I also needed to ensure the guest wing was prepared for foreign visitors—most people found the unending light unnerving. This wing of the palace was built specifically for foreigners so that the unending light didn’t penetrate those halls. Artificial light was the only light there. I had never been to that part of the palace before, it had never been needed. But with mother relying on me…it was time I took up that duty as well. I walked with purpose, clutching my skirts tightly, and soon found myself standing before the door leading into the guest wing and pushed through roughly.

Once through I paused, forcing myself to release my clenched fists and smooth my skirts. Servants bustled through the halls, carrying fresh linen and such from cart to room, coming out with dirty. The head of the group stood supervising, helping keep everybody on task. I spoke with her shortly, stepping into each room to look them over. Honestly, she had a better idea of what would need doing than I—I had never bothered learning the things required for this wing. Really, it’s just basic cleaning, right? I had never been good at that. Best leave that to those who knew what they were doing. I was sure to just mess things up. Still, I examined each room, checking for dust, hyper aware of the women watching me. I didn’t comment—what was I supposed to say? I should have just stayed away from here. It didn’t help that I was on edge from the lack of light. It wasn’t _dark_ but it definitely wasn’t the bright white surrounding light I was used too. The torches and candles flickered, spraying yellow and red light on the walls ominously. I shuddered and quickly finished checking things. I voiced my approval of how things were doing and how well they were keeping things up then all but ran from the hall. If I could help it, I would not be going back there again any time soon. Then I realized slowly, that hall was much like the rest of this planet would be during the Festival. Would the people be as prepared for that as we assumed? I hoped so, because I didn’t know what else we could do.

The rest of my time was spent with my mother, learning more about how to carry myself, how to speak, and such things. This would be a real test on my abilities as future queen, and I needed to be in top condition. I followed her every direction, worked on my languages, the mathematics, and dancing (though that was hardly needed). She spoke softly, and was careful to always phrase things as a question so as to not influence me in the slightest. My heart ached for how hard this must be on her. She had always been stronger in the Force than she could control, and as she aged her control only slipped more and more. I sometimes wondered if there was anybody who could help her, but aside from the Sith or Jedi, there were not many with gifts like these. The Jedi were a dreadful people, suppressing their emotions, forcing people to do things they didn’t want to do, unfortunately the Sith weren’t much better. Yes, embracing your emotions was a better alternative, but they let their emotions grow so powerful they destroyed themselves. We believed similar things, except to always remember to keep control of yourself. Never harm another, lest you harm yourself. That was our motto.

One day to go until our ‘guests’ arrived. Everything was ready, all that was left was to do was try again to contact my sister.

I stood in the communications room, dialing the temple my sister was scheduled to be visiting and waiting. Moments later a hunched figure appeared before me through the holographic caller.

“Princess Althea! What a surprise, your sister just arrived here this morning.”

“I know. I need to speak with her urgently, is that possible?”

“Of course! Stand by please, I will fetch her presently.” The hunched figure disappeared and I tapped my foot impatiently. She should have contacted us, I shouldn’t have to do this. In the year she had been gone, she had never reached out to us once. There was a lot she needed to know, and most of it I couldn’t tell her this way. If I did, we ran the risk of somebody intercepting our message and learning too much.

“Allie?”

I was shaken from my thoughts as my sister appeared before me. Even knowing it was her, I didn’t recognize her. Her hair had been cropped short, she wore the clothes of a monk, and she was not in good shape. “Jenna, is that you?”

“Allie! Oh its so good to hear your voice, I’ve missed you so much.” She was jumping up and down in excitement and waving her arms ecstatically. Even being gone so long, she hadn’t changed.

“Jenna, why haven’t you contacted us? We’ve all been worried. It’s been nearly a year, and you’ve said nothing. Much has happened during your absence.” I paused, clutching my hands together to hide their shaking. “Your training period is almost over, and once the year has passed Mother and Father wish you to return immediately.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’ve extended my training for another six months. Allie, I’m mastering the Force, I’ve even managed to manipulate small objects! Memory wiping isn’t all I can do after all.”

I paused, quite surprised. “Really? You’ve really managed that? That’s amazing!” I stopped myself and shook my head. “You’ll have to train on your own though, from here. Mother’s dying, Jenna. I don’t think she’ll last another month, let alone six. It’s time for you to return. I’m sorry.”

My sister’s image flickered, and a look of horror had passed over her features. “Dying? Mother can’t die. She’s the strongest of all us.” She paused, looking at me closely, then crossed her arms and nodded sadly. “No, I can see you’re telling the truth. I will return in one week, as originally planned. I’m sorry for not calling, but the masters say it interrupts the training. I’ve got to go, my time is up here. I’ll send word when I leave here. Goodbye Allie, I’ll see you soon.”

I raised a hand in farewell as my sister’s form blinked out. She had changed much. I was glad she agreed to come home. If she hadn’t…I would have had to take her place. It still may come to that in the end. I hadn’t been raised to rule as she had, and if she did not take the throne when mother passed, it would fall to me. I would need to begin my studies once the festival was over in five days.

Bells rang throughout the kingdom, alerting those that the time for rest had come, the equivalent of another planets “night”. I began the trek back to my rooms, more than ready for the rest this time would bring. Tomorrow would be even busier than today, and I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it.

 


	2. Two

Standing on the bridge, he watched as the people around him prepared for landing. Himself and three troopers would soon be the humble guests of Dostoria. His lip curled in distaste, such a small place, what was the point of this? His master had a plan, one that he couldn’t see. Perhaps in time he would unravel it. The ship docked, and the unloading bay opened. As he exited the ship, he removed his helmet—these were an open people, let them assume he was the same. Coming out of the ship, his eyes landed on a trio waiting just down the path. He easily identified the Princess despite the change of attire—her clothing today was much more subdued, gray and modest with a high neckline that came just beneath her chin, long sleeves and gloves covering small hands, and a floor length skirt. Her smile from the message was also gone, he wondered if something had happened idly then ignored the thought. The man, the Prince Consort he assumed, stepped forward.

“Greetings, my lord!” He smiled, extending a hand and the two men clasped arms. “It is good you got here safely. Might I introduce to you my wife, Elinda—” the older woman nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “And my youngest daughter, Althea.” The Princess lifted her gaze long enough to offer a formal curtsy before lowering her eyes again. “Before we go any further, there is something you need to know about our family. All in our family have a specialty in the Force in one way or another. Althea can join her mind with anyone else so long as there is physical contact between them—we will be making use of this. Elinda though, can dominate anyone’s will through her voice. As such, she will not speak directly. Althea will be melding their thoughts, and as such will lose awareness around her, but Elinda will speak through her voice.”

“I see, that’s a unique solution.” Kylo Ren realized why the daughter was so subdued now. She pulled off a glove as he watched and took her mother’s hand.

“Welcome, my lord, we are so happy to finally meet you face to face.” The Queen was smiling broadly, but the voice that spoke was the Princess, whose eyes were glazed and empty. “I know how strange this must seem, but we could think of no other way.”

“I understand,” he said softly. “You must do what must be done.”

“Exactly! I think we will get along wonderfully.”

~*~*~

(Earlier that morning)

  
“Princess, you cannot wear that!” the silver protocol droid was having a fit, pacing nervously. “I am sorry, but your mother insisted you wear the gray gown instead.” I groaned, staring at the garment laid on the bed. Gray and lifeless, just like she wanted me to be apparently. There were no embellishments, no lace, nothing to make it look even slightly pretty.

“Just for today?” The droid nodded and I begrudgingly put on the gown, waiting impatiently while it did the buttons up in the back. Looking in the mirror, I arranged the crystals into my hair as usual—this was the hardest part. They had to be placed in just the right place or they would not be secure and fall out.

“It’s time, Princess,” I glanced at the clock, and nodded. Yes, time to go meet the First Order representative, then lose the rest of the day. It had been a very long time since mother had asked me to do this, and I wasn’t excited to do it again. Having an entire day taken from me always made it hard to transition back when she released my mind. Last time, had been right after Jenna had left, and she had remained in control for an entire week. I prayed silently she wouldn’t do that again. It had been months before I could recover.

I walked down the halls, making my way out to the landing pad. My parents were there already, and I took my place to my mother’s left. She nodded to me, but otherwise did not acknowledge my presence. Father kissed my temple, and I felt the tension in me ease. I watched in silence as the ship landed and four men departed—three of those clone soldiers I had only heard tales of, and then the tallest in black…that was Kylo Ren. I turned my gaze down to my feet—it would not be good to get caught staring. That cloth…I had seen black clothing before, but his clothes seemed to absorb the light around them. Or was that the man himself? Hearing my name, I looked up straight into his eyes and quickly curtsied, averting my gaze again. I removed my gloves shortly and my mother took my hand, then everything vanished.

  
Some time later, feeling began to trickle back into me. I flexed my hands, then clenched them into fists before flexing them again. I continued that pattern, and soon the blackness around me began to fade, my sight slowly coming back. Coming back from this always took an absurd amount of time. I continued moving my hands, twisting my head side to side, rolling my shoulders, and taking deep measured breaths. Soon, I was back to normal. Almost. My sight was blurry, and things sounded like they were underwater, but those would take hours to return completely. I was alone in the council chamber. After releasing me, mother hadn’t even waited to see if I recovered. A frown creased my forehead as I stood. She had either not cared, or had known I would be okay. I hoped it was the latter, but it was more likely the first. There was a note on the table in front of me, but when I opened it all the words blurred together. I frowned again and tucked it into my belt. I would have to read it later, or have somebody read it to me.

  
What time was it? How long had it been? There was no real way for me to know, but I needed to move. Movement was key to recovering from mother’s mind sweep. I knew just the place, and started my unsteady walk to the gardens. If it was the time of rest, I shouldn’t see anybody else. I made my way through the maze of halls until I finally reached the door leading out. Feeling the light hit my face I took a deep breath of the fresh air. I felt the tension leave my muscles, and began making my way down the winding path til I reached a lone tree. This tree was not like the ones from our planet. It was in an extremely large pot that had been placed in the earth, with its own soil to house it. Rather than glass like, this tree was tall, so tall that I had never climbed to the top, the bark was black the planet it came from, the leaves small and a deep purple, and scattered amongst the leaves were the silver fruits this tree bore. This was my favorite tree, it had come from a planet that no longer existed, and was the last of its kind. I had a small cutting from it in a pot in my room, but I wasn’t sure that it would survive.  
I tied my skirts up around my knees and began my climb up. I climbed until my legs grew too weak to continue, then pulled myself onto a branch to rest. The foliage was dense here, and I could see nothing except the leaves around me, or the ground directly below me. At least if I couldn’t see out, I knew nobody could see in. I could stay here as long as I wanted, and probably never be found—and that was exactly what I was after right now. I leaned my back against the trunk and closed my eyes, allowing one leg to dangle down. An overwhelming sensation of peace slowly closed over me, and I allowed my eyes to close and my thoughts to drift. Here, there was nobody to impress, no need to keep up appearances. No need to be the Princess, but just to be me.

  
Before long, footsteps could be heard coming this way, I slowly roused myself from my thoughts and peered down through the branches. I had expected the shuffling gait of a droid sent to fetch me, but these were the steady measured steps of someone assured of themselves. If it wasn’t a droid, it was probably my father or a servant more likely, there wasn’t much point hiding from them. I shifted on my perch until I had my feet beneath me, watching to see who appeared. The steps stopped just before coming into view. I remained in place, silent. I had only seen one person with an aura like this, and I knew he would know I was here. If he wanted to speak with me, he would.

  
I began to make my way higher up, but the strength had yet to return to my legs fully, so I only made it to the next branch up. Now the ground was completely eliminated from view. I was rewarded for the extra distance though, by coming into reach of the silvery fruits. I was suddenly aware of just how hungry I was, and plucked several from the violet boughs. I held the edge of my over skirt in a way that created a basket and began filling it. There were maybe six fruits in my skirts when I heard a concerning groan come from the branch I was on. I quickly grabbed onto the branch above me to redistribute my weight, then lowered myself down to a larger branch. Lord Kylo Ren was in view this time, an amused look on his face as he watched me climb around.

  
“What may I ask,” I finally spoke up, annoyed at having my solitude disturbed. “Are you doing here? At this time?”

  
“I had heard of the beauty of these gardens and wished to see them for myself,” He said. “I hadn’t expected to find such lovely specimen though.”

  
Heat flushed my cheeks and I looked back up at the tree. The tree, he means the tree. Not me. Right? “This is the sole survivor of the flora on Korriban.”

  
“I see, then this is what I felt drawing me.”

  
I nodded, shifting so I could swing down from the branch with one arm and drop the last few feet to the ground. Unfortunately, my grasp on the branch gave out before I was ready. Before I could fall, I felt a pressure around my waist and was lowered gently to the ground. Once back on my feet I gave him a curious look. “Thank you…”

  
“It wouldn’t do to have the Princess hurt, now would it?”

  
“Althea. My name is Althea.” I began straightening my skirts, setting the fruits down on the ground.

  
“Althea, then. What were you doing up there? Surely a servant could pick those for you.” He pulled his cloak from around his shoulders and placed it around mine.

  
“True, but what’s the fun in that? Besides, I enjoy the climb,” I smiled gratefully at him suddenly aware of how cold it was, and how much I was shivering. I clutched the garment close, then picked up two of the fruits, holding one out. “Do you want to try one? They’re really quite good.”

  
He reached out and took one, and I suspected from the expression on his face it was just to be polite. I took a bite out of mine, closing my eyes and savoring the taste. It was a sweet fruit, perfectly ripe, and best of all it was a healing fruit. One bite, and any pains you had would disappear. For me, it restored my vision and hearing the rest of the way. That had been the ultimate goal for this climb. When I looked up again, he was still eyeing his fruit suspiciously. I rolled my eyes and took it from him, placing mine in his hands.

  
“Look, I ate it, I’m fine. It’s obviously safe, now try it!” I took a bite out of the one I had just taken from him, to sink in the point. A smile quirked at his lips and he took a bite. The surprise on his face had me in a fit of giggles before I could stop myself. It didn’t take him long to polish off the rest of it, and he was left with a single seed in his hands.

  
“I can’t say I have ever had anything like that before.” The smile was still there and I calmed myself.

  
“When you and your men leave, I’ll make sure to send some with you.”

  
“I would like that, Althea.”

  
I beamed at him. He wasn’t as scary as people said after all. In fact he was quite fun to be around. I hesitated slightly, suddenly wanting to invite him to the Festival, but not knowing how he would react to that. The worst he could do was say no, right? “So, have you heard about the Festival this week?” I broached the topic carefully, and he shook his head slightly. “Tomorrow and the next three days will be a festival, celebrating the retreat of the Light and the oncoming Darkness. As you may have noticed,” I continued, beginning to walk down the path again, pleased to see him fall into step with me. “The light doesn’t stop here. It’s always light, never any change in its brightness. But once, every three hundred years, the moons orbiting our four suns all come into alignment between us and them, and we are plunged into Darkness for 90 hours, or three days*. Down in the city, there will be games, music, shopping, and dancing—it’s to be a real party, so I’ve heard.” I clasped my hands behind me, smiling broadly at the thought of going dancing again. It had been a long time, and this event was well overdue.

  
“It certainly sounds so,” he spoke slowly, and I noticed he was watching me from the corner of his eye. When our eyes met, he looked ahead again. “I don’t suppose it would be an issue were I to attend. After all, one should know the people of your allies, just as well as you know your allies. This would be a good opportunity to learn more about your people.”

  
“Oh it certainly would be,” I stopped walking, turning to face him. If he were family, I would have reached out and taken his hands, but without my gloves I didn’t risk initiating any form of contact. Instead, I began smoothing down my skirts to keep my hands busy. “I would be glad to show you and introduce you to people. I visit the town regularly, and know them all fairly well.”

  
“The chance to learn more about yourself would not be amiss either,” he said, an unreadable expression on his face. I blinked slowly, then smiled a bit sheepishly. I had not been as subtle as I had hoped, it seemed. “Until tomorrow then, Althea.” He reached out and took my hand, bowing over it and placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. I felt the color rise to my cheeks and before I could stammer out a reply, he turned on his heel and strode away.

  
I watched his retreating form, waiting til he had disappeared from view before sinking down onto a nearby bench. That had gone surprisingly well, I thought. Until tomorrow, then.

  
~*~*~

  
A knock on the door roused the Queen from her task at hand. She called for whoever it was to enter. Without looking up, she knew it was the droid assigned to watch her daughter. “What do you have to report?” The droid moved behind her and she turned to face it, tapping her foot impatiently.

  
“The Princess did as you said. Straight to the tree she went,” the droid paused, and the Queen motioned for him to continue. “As did the young lord. They’ve made plans to attend the Festival together tomorrow.”

  
“Good, things are going as planned. You’re dismissed.” The droid gave an awkward bow and shuffled out of the room and she smiled to herself. Everything was falling into place perfectly. Her treatment of her daughter had evoked sympathy from the Sith Lord, and now he had sought her out of his own will. With a nudge here and there, things would go perfectly. But now was time to wait, and watch. Soon would be time for action, perhaps another day or two, but not now.

  
She picked up a brush from her vanity and began running it through her hair carefully.

  
Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally supposed to be updated on the 15th, but I completed it well ahead of schedule so here it is. 
> 
> Another thing, I know I categorized this as a reader insert, but I realize now it has none of those characteristics. Most reader inserts are written in second person, which I find harder to sink into than first person. Also they usually leave blanks for things like your name, hair color, and such. And I find those really take away from the story as well.  
> I'm sorry for the misleading, but this really was intended originally as a reader insert. And in my head it still is. 
> 
> Basically here I am acknowledging that this is not a typical reader insert and apologize for any confusion. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to give a special thanks to pokebreeder_rose, your comment is what helped me speed through my writing <3


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